Category Archives: College Volleyball

The Trine Thunder swept the Kalamazoo Hornets Wednesday, 25-20, 25-23, 25-12. Trine led the entire first set and nearly the entire third set. Kalamazoo was ahead for much of the second and Trine didn’t get a two-point lead until the very end.

Shannon Scott and Emma Gaff led the Thunder with 11 kills each. Kalamazoo’s Madi Goodman also tallied 11, six of which came in the second set. The win moves Trine to 8-6 overall and 4-3 in MIAA play, while Kalamazoo falls to 0-7 in the MIAA and 2-12 overall. Trine returns to action at home against league-leader Calvin Tuesday, while Kalamazoo travels to Grace Bible College Saturday.

The Glen Oaks Vikings earned a road sweep of the Kalamazoo Valley Cougars Tuesday, 25-19, 25-16, 25-12, matching the August sweep the Vikings earned on their home floor. They assumed control midway through the first set on a big run off the service of Carly Kyle, putting them ahead by ten at one point.

The second set stayed close early again, but Glen Oaks built their biggest run and lead in the final stretch. In the third set, there was no doubt for the Vikings. Unofficially, Calsey Gruzdov led the team with 13 kills, followed by nine from Paige Engdahl. Carlie VandenBerg’s five topped the Cougars.

Glen Oaks moves to 16-8 overall and 6-3 in the MCCAA Western Conference. They return to action at conference-leader #4 Grand Rapids next Tuesday. Kalamazoo Valley falls to 5-10 overall and 3-6 in the West. The Cougars head to Grand Rapids Thursday, then compete at GRCC in a tournament Saturday and Sunday.

Kalamazoo is still searching for its first league win, sitting at 0-6 in the MIAA. The Hornets are 2-11 overall, getting both wins in their Hornet Invitational tournament two weekends ago. Trine is currently tied for fourth in the MIAA at 3-3 and sits at 7-6 overall.

Overall, the Cougars are 5-9, although they’ve won three of their last four matches and a hold a 2-1 home record. The Vikings are 15-9 on the season and have won seven of their last eight, only falling to #1 ranked Harper College in four sets Saturday in that stretch. Glen Oaks hosted Kalamazoo Valley back on August 24 with a 3-0 Viking win (25-18, 25-13, 25-21).

The Adrian College Bulldogs beat the Kalamazoo College Hornets 3-1 Wednesday, 20-25, 25-23, 25-17, 25-15. The win gives Adrian five consecutive victories over Kalamazoo and gives the Bulldogs their first of 2017.

Kellogg was the first to lead by multiple points and led much of the first set. Kalamazoo Valley finished strong, ending on a 7-1 run en route to their first home set win of the season. In the second, the Bruins used an 8-0 run off the service of Kimberly Kusler to pull away and even the match at 1-1.

The third set was tied at 16-16, then a 9-5 finish pushed the Cougars back ahead. In the fourth, Kalamazoo Valley jumped out to an 8-4 start and although Kellogg briefly tied it, the Cougars never surrendered the lead.

The win puts Kalamazoo Valley at 2-6 overall and 1-3 in the MCCAA Western Conference. Kellogg suffers its first defeat at 7-1 and 3-1 in the West. Both squads return to action Thursday with the Cougars at Ancilla, while Kellogg hosts Glen Oaks.

Both teams opened and went 0-4 over the weekend in the Bluffton, Ohio Spiketactular. Kalamazoo finished 9-19 overall in 2016, improving from a 2-24 overall mark in 2015. Adrian was 15-14 last season, finishing fourth in the MIAA and making the league tournament off a 9-7 conference mark.

Adrian narrowly won their most recent meeting, surviving at home in five sets on October 21st, 2016. In their earlier 2016 meeting in Kalamazoo, Adrian swept the Hornets. The Bulldogs have won four consecutive meetings over Kalamazoo, with the Hornets winning last at home on October 22, 2014.

Kellogg has started 2017 with a 7-0 record, already topping their four total victories in 2016. They haven’t had eight wins in a season since 2021. The Bruins are 3-0 in the MCCAA Western Conference, opening August with wins over Lake Michigan, Jackson, and Lansing. Over the weekend, Kellogg added four more victories in the Owens Express Classic, including a sweep of Division III 10th-ranked Columbus State.

Kalamazoo Valley has started 1-6, although they’ve had incredibly stiff competition as they’ve faced five Division II top-25 ranked teams. Their lone victory came in the Owens Express Classic Saturday against 14th-ranked Schoolcraft in five sets. The Cougars are 0-3 in the MCCAA Western Conference, falling to 13th-ranked Grand Rapids, 19th-ranked Muskegon, and Glen Oaks.

Defending MCCAA champion Grand Rapids defeated Kalamazoo Valley Tuesday evening in three sets (25-16, 25-13, 25-21). The Cougars began set #1 with a 5-1 run, but the 13th-ranked Raiders responded with a 6-0 run and very rarely trailed for the remainder of the match.

Kalamazoo Valley falls to 0-2 with the defeat. They travel to conference foe Muskegon Thursday, then go to the Owens CC classic over the weekend. Grand Rapids moves to 3-0 and has tournament action Friday and Saturday in Toledo, Ohio, including meetings with top-ranked Parkland and fourth-ranked Catawba Valley.

Kalamazoo Valley finished 14-12 overall last season and sixth in the MCCAA Western Conference at 6-10. Grand Rapids was a perfect 16-0 in the Western Conference and 28-8 overall, earning a trip to the NJCAA national tournament. Last September, the Cougars were able to take the second set of their match in Grand Rapids, but fell in four to the Raiders (25-22,18-25,15-25,16-25). The Raiders swept KVCC in their October rematch (25-14, 25-19, 25-11).